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“Mommy’s going to be home late tonight,” Zayne said to his surprised three-year-old son who had been coloring in his coloring book in the living room. He knelt down next to the boy, complimenting on his neatness and color choices. Zayne tilted his head to the side, amused by the purple snowman and yellow penguin his son had chosen to color. He picked up the little toddler, carrying him effortlessly with one arm as he stood up. “Let’s get you your dinner first.”
“Noooo,” the boy protested to Zayne’s surprise. He tried to wriggle out of his father’s hold, but Zayne held him tighter, warning him that he could fall. Immediately, the toddler pouted at his father and pleaded, “I want to eat with Mommy and Daddy.”
“Mommy won’t be home until after your bedtime,” Zayne said patiently, but his explanation didn’t appease the toddler, who continued to sulk at his father.
“I want to wait for Mommy with Daddy!” the boy insisted.
Seeing the boy’s desperation, Zayne held back a laugh. “I don’t know,” he said playfully, adding, “I don’t think you would be able to stay awake…”
“I can!” his son swore, eyes full of determination, “I took a very long nap today!”
Zayne chuckled, remembering more clearly how much longer it had taken to put the boy down for his nap than usual.
“Please, Daddy?”
“Alright, alright,” Zayne said, giving a light tap on his son’s lips, “Put that pout away. You can stay up with me and wait for Mommy, but just tonight, alright?”
Immediately, the toddler’s eyes brightened and he cheered happily.
“But if I hear that stomach growling, you’re having dinner and then going to bed immediately.”
“No growling,” the boy said sternly, looking down at his stomach, “We have to wait for Mommy. We can’t let her eat alone.”
Zayne laughed, and pressed a kiss to his son’s temple. Softly, he murmured, “So cute.”
When you arrived home after a particularly longer day than normal, the house was completely dark, and absolute silence greeted you.
Curious, you checked each room.
The living room was spotless. The coffee table was tidied and all of the toys had been put away.
In the dining room, you were surprised to see three plates of food. Two adults and one toddler-sized plates were placed neatly on the table in their respective spots. All untouched.
Your stomach growled a little, so you quickly stole a morsel of the cold dish, satisfying that hunger with a quick bite.
Leaving the dining room, you continued your surveillance, treating this task almost like one of your missions.
The bathroom was a little wet, but otherwise spotless, so you moved on down the hallway, checking room to room. Suddenly, you were surprised to see the door to your son’s room was still left open, and a peek inside immediately had you worried when you saw the empty bed still neatly made.
You continued searching, moving quicker through your check until you reached Zayne’s office. The door was opened ajar with dimmed lighting from his desk lamp peeking out into the dark hallway. Approaching his office, you glanced inside, and breathed out in relief.
There they were.
Your husband sat at his desk, an array of reports was scattered across the surface. The laptop appeared to have entered sleep mode long ago.
Zayne’s glasses were a little crooked on his face, his eyes closed. Likewise, on his lap was his mini clone: the young toddler was curled up against his father sleeping soundly with a dribble of drool down his chin.
You suppressed a giggle and walked over to wipe the drool off your son’s face. Just as you touched Zayne’s glasses to remove them, his eyes opened, and you stared into familiar pools of hazel. He looked at you bleary-eyed, seemingly unsure if this was still a dream or not.
You smiled at his confused expression and pecked him on the tip of his nose with a light kiss.
“I’m home,” you told him, delighted by his immediate sleepy smile. “You both should have eaten before me.”
“He insisted on waiting,” Zayne explained, shifting in his seat to a more comfortable position while readjusting his son on his lap. He chuckled as the toddler flopped against him, mumbling about seals and foxes.
“Like a little koala bear,” you remarked teasingly. “Stay here. You both rest some more. I’ll bring dinner to your office.”
About fifteen minutes later, you arrived to Zayne’s office with a tray carrying the dinner plates he had previously prepared along with utensils and some drinks. Zayne raised a brow, noticing a small dessert box.
“I picked it up at a convenience store on my way home,” you explained with a smile, noticing where his eyes were. You set the tray down on his desk and walked to his chair, leaning over to brush a gentle kiss against your son’s temple before pressing your own lips against your husband’s. Quietly, you explained, “My little sweet apology for being so late.”
“I think we can forgive you,” Zayne teased, adding cheekily, “After a bite.”
You tsked at him, chiding just as playfully, “After dinner, Dr. Zayne. You don’t want to be a bad influence to your son, do you?”
Zayne tightened his arms protectively around the sleeping toddler in his lap, smiling charmingly at you. “A little mischievousness now and then is healthy for him,” he rebutted audaciously. “One bite and we’ll forgive you for being late.”
You laughed at his impudent response. “You are unbelievable!”
Before your husband could counter, your son stirred, mumbling sleepily. “Un-be-what?”
Both you and Zayne laughed. You knelt next to your husband’s chair, and greeted the sleepy boy. “Hello there, my darling.”
“Mommy!” The boy turned toward you with arms raised, and happily, you picked him up, your heart melting when he clung to you tighter as you swayed back and forth. You pressed another kiss to the toddler’s temple, and asked, “Why didn’t you eat dinner earlier?”
The boy raised his head, curious by the sudden question. Silently, you marveled at how much the boy looked like his father more and more each day, and in this moment, his confused expression mirrored his father’s perfectly, and you refrained from laughing, remembering the number of times you had baffled your husband with your own bouts of silliness and tomfoolery.
“I didn’t want Mommy eating alone…”
“Aww…” Immediately, you hugged the boy tighter, smiling when he buried his face against your shoulder, rubbing it against the fabric of your top. Out of the corner of your eye, you caught Zayne’s smile, seeing he was just as touched by the little boy’s frankness as you were. “I’m sorry I came home late today…”
The boy shook his head furiously. “Why is Mommy sorry? Mommy was working hard…”
Startled by your young son’s observation, you found yourself suddenly blinking back tears, feeling a tightness in your chest. You smiled in spite of the bittersweetness that suddenly rooted itself in your heart. You nodded slowly, staying as composed as you could for your son’s sake. “You’re right, darling,” you agreed, adding gently, “But Mommy doesn’t feel good making you stay up so late waiting on me.”
“It’s alright, Mommy,” the boy insisted, unaware of the concern from both of his parents. He smiled brightly. “Daddy and I waited for you! We should always eat together.”
Zayne immediately stood up, seeing you were actually about to break down crying. He quickly intervened, taking the surprised toddler away from you, and with his other free arm, he pulled you into his embrace. Quietly, he consoled you.
“Mommy… did I make you cry?” the boy asked quietly, feeling suddenly guilty.
“No—No, darling… I’m happy. I really am,” you reassured your son with a forced smile. “Mommy just misses you so much. I guess… it finally caught up on me just now.”
The boy looked worried, not completely believing the reasoning you just gave.
“Mommy is happy that you were thinking of her,” Zayne intervened, explaining the situation gently to the confused toddler.
“But…” the boy’s brows furrowed in confusion, and he asked, “How can you be happy and also crying?”
“Well,” Zayne started, glancing at you sniffling in his arms, “Sometimes people feel big emotions and they can’t hold it inside.”
“So… they… cry?” The boy asked, seemingly still unsure by his father’s explanation.
You immediately nodded, playing along with Zayne’s explanation. “That’s right!” you said firmly, “And Mommy had so many big emotions today, I had to let them out.”
“Oh…” the little boy answered thoughtfully. “Does Daddy do that too?” he questioned, peering up at his surprised father.
Zayne laughed softly. “I do,” he answered calmly.
“When?”
You and Zayne both appeared surprised by the boy’s immediate follow-up question, but Zayne already seemed to have an answer for his curious son.
“Well,” Zayne started, “The day Mommy and I married made me so happy.”
You smiled, remembering the day just as fondly as Zayne did, but more than that, you observed in fascination at your son’s subtle reaction to his father’s explanation.
“And then,” Zayne continued calmly, “When Mommy and I decided we wanted to have you.”
“Hm?” The boy perked up, curious.
You shot Zayne a quiet, teasing look, mouthing at him: Hush.
Your husband refrained from laughing, giving you a half-hearted shrug, the quiet interaction completely missed by your young son. The boy tapped his father’s shoulder, redirecting his attention to the little toddler.
“Are there more?” his son asked, practically wriggling in his father’s arms with growing excitement.
“Lots more,” Zayne assured his excited son, “Like also when Mommy and I found out you were in her belly.”
You leaned against your husband’s arm, smiling when he guided you to join him on his chair. You settled happily at your place on his lap, taking your son into your own arms. The warmth of Zayne’s presence enveloped you both, and likewise, he also felt at peace knowing his family was safe in his arms like this.
“And when you were born,” Zayne continued, unprompted.
“You remember so many times,” the boy observed.
“Because we have so many good memories,” you explained, kissing your son’s cheek. “You make us so happy.”
Your son grinned, seeming pleased by this explanation. “Mommy and Daddy make me happy too!” He paused suddenly, piquing both yours and Zayne’s interest again. He looked up sheepishly. “Is it bad that I don’t cry like Mommy does?”
You gasped quietly while Zayne snickered.
“Perfectly fine,” Zayne interjected, his eyes twinkling with amusement at your stunned expression and his son’s innocent jab. He gave you a light squeeze as comfort, but you pretended to sulk.
“I can’t believe you two are ganging up on me,” you sighed dramatically, adding, “I shouldn’t have bought that treat earlier then.”
“What treat?” your son cried out, wriggling on your lap as he tried to look around the room for this surprise treat.
You giggled as you tried to calm down the excited toddler.
“That’s a secret,” you said, explaining, “For after dinner. Let’s eat. I’m starving.”
You and Zayne blinked in surprise when you heard a light growling noise, seeing your son’s cheeks turning rosy. Zayne chuckled and carefully moved the tray of food closer.
“Let’s eat!” the boy cheered, his mouth opened wide as you fed him his first spoonful of dinner.
“Is it yummy? Mommy can reheat it again if you would like—”
“It’s yummy,” the boy insisted, adding, “I can feed myself—”
You smiled as Zayne set the boy on top of his desk, and he leaned over to grab his fork, happily eating his meal as you and Zayne also ate from your own plates.
“This is fun,” you quipped, “We should eat in your office more often.”
“Can we, Daddy?” your son asked, seeming just as delighted by this suggestion.
Zayne chuckled at seeing his son’s mouth was stained with a red sauce.
“Maybe occasionally—if Mommy also brings home dessert more often.”
“I see the dessert!”
You gasped as your son crawled closer to the dessert box and opened it, his fork already digging into the cake. Instead of eating it himself, he grinned and held the fork out to his father, and without a moment of hesitation, Zayne leaned down, taking that first bite himself.
“Delicious,” he quipped as he also used this opportunity to wipe his son’s mouth clean with his thumb.
You sighed at your husband and son, defeated. “You two are hopeless.”
“Want a bite, Mommy?” the boy asked instead with a wide grin, holding up his fork to you.
You smiled helplessly, unable to resist his innocent smile or gesture. “I think… I want a bite of this instead,” you said, and to your son’s surprise, he dropped his fork, giggling when you picked him up again, completely helpless to the onslaught of kisses on his cheek.
“N-No, Mommy, no biting me—!” the boy laughed as he tried to block your kisses. “Daddy, help! Help!”
Zayne laughed. “Help is on the way!”
You gasped when Zayne wrapped one arm around your waist, pulling you closer, your back to his chest. You peered up in surprise, eyes closed when he leaned down, placing a kiss on your lips. Dazed, you barely registered what had just happened only pulled out of your sudden stupor when you felt a lighter kiss on your cheek, realizing almost immediately it was from your son.
He grinned, his arms wrapped around your neck. Suddenly, he let out a loud yawn, and you smiled, your arms tightening around him, your body instinctively swaying side-to-side. His head drooped on your shoulder, the gentle motion relaxing him.
“Let’s finish dinner,” you whispered to your son and husband.
You heard light snoring instead.
“He’s already asleep,” Zayne chuckled. “He really wanted to see you tonight.”
“Poor thing,” you said, hugging your sleeping son tighter.
“I also wanted to see you tonight,” Zayne added, guiding you back down to sit on his lap. He smiled when you leaned into his embrace, feeling both you and his son close to him again. “Let’s eat again in here tomorrow night. All three of us.”
“Sounds like a plan,” you said, adding with a smile, “You pick up dessert tomorrow then.”
You and Zayne froze, hearing a sleepy mumble against your chest from your son still in a deep slumber, “Macarooooons please and thank youuuuu…..”
The two of you tried to stifle your laughter, with Zayne speaking up first in between chuckles:
“Consider it done.”